Chapter Twenty-Four - Ingenious

Chapter Twenty-Four - Ingenious

Chapter Twenty-Four - Ingenious

Trash Island is probably the most famous location filled with human waste, but there are other, larger deposits. Notable examples are the Cambodian trash castle, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

There are also super-landfills closer to home.

Such as Florida.

--Wheres the Trash? Death Magazine article, 2046

***

Ouch, I said to the dirty ceiling of the decontamination room.

Something banged against my shin, and I folded my knee so that whatever it was could get past.

The door closed, and the room thumped as it locked. Cat! Are you okay?

I swallowed, then raised my head. Gomorrah was standing next to the heavy door, a hand on the handle. Shed closed it, which, all things considered, was pretty clever. I looked lower, towards my chest. There was something flat and shiny squished under one breast.

Reaching over, I tugged at it, then inspected the almost flower-shaped disk that must have been a bullet a moment ago. Oh, I said. Thats what hit me.

My armour had a small smear, the paint over that area scuffed. No dents though, which was nice. Are you injured? Gomorrah asked.

I dont think so, I said. I climbed onto my elbows. What the fuck was that?

A gun. I think its a turretI didnt exactly stop to stare, Gomorrah said.

Not the nicest welcome, I said.

I cant detect any electronic switches, or any program designed to fire a weapon in the vicinity. Its possible that the trap is entirely mechanical, Myalis said for our benefit.

Grunting, I half-turned, then stumbled to my feet as the shower started to spit and gush water back down onto us. Great, I said. Should we try again?

You want to get shot again? Gomorrah asked.

I chuckled. No. Im standing to the side this time.

Gomorrah did the same, stepping back so she was pressed up against the wall. I reached over and tugged the door open, the massive thing creaking even as the water from the decontamination shower finally stopped.

Nothing happened.

Alright, I said. Myalis, do my shoulder guns have cameras?

You should be about sub four, Rac said. Myalis let me play with the map. So youre pretty deep. There are these big mountain and hill bits that reach up from the dirt-ground and all the way up to the underside of the city in some places.

Alright, I said.

I glanced at my own map, just to have an idea of where we were. There were a lot of corridors ahead, a whole maze of passages, with some ending in elevators that ran up into the sub-basements of the buildings above. We were, if I zoomed out, pretty close to the dead centre of New Montreal, the place with the tallest towers and where the richest folk lived.

Our destination was only a couple of hundred metres away, a section filled with small rooms and a few larger areas that might have been factories once. Not necessarily part of the sewers, I didnt think, but connected all the same.

At the next door, both Gomorrah and I paused, then looked around for marks and obvious traps. There, Gomorrah said, she spotted the little painted symbols first.

Rac, you know what these mean? I asked as I stared at them closer. They looked like... a house, some squiggles, and what might have been a mask? They were blue, blue, and green, respectively.

Ive no fucking clue, Rac said. I dont do sewer cant, I do trash cant.

So you cant understand these? I asked while restraining a giggle... poorly.

Gomorrah sighed. Why do I even put up with you? she muttered while Rac giggled over the line. She reached out and opened the door a notch, then looked around it for triggers. Nothing I can see, she said.

I nodded, then took her place behind the door and opened it carefully. Nothing exploded, so that was nice. At least until Myalis piped up. There are lingering traces of... quite a few toxic chemicals in the air. I suspect this airlock is meant to kill anyone using it without the proper precautions.

Anything we should worry about? I asked.

Atyacus has disabled the air exchange already, Myalis replied. The area past the airlock seems like another short passage, followed by an area with more activity.

How much more? I asked.

I count twenty-two active augmentations.

Any guards? I asked as I stepped in.

Myalis took just a second to respond. One augmentation in the next room. The user is currently distracted observing some adult material.

I shook my head. Well, lets not interrupt our new pals alone time, I said as I turned on my invisibility. Gomorrah, do you mind if I check out the next area solo? I need to do something with all of this stealth gear. You can back-seat samurai and not-flirt with Franny.

Gomorrah sniffed. Fine. Do try not to get yourself shot any more than you need to.

You know I dont live a life where people try to not shoot me. Thats how you know youre doing things right. Or very wrong.

Youre so terribly wise, she deadpanned.

I was grinning as I pushed the door open a crack, then snuck into the next room over. Time to see what was up at last.

***